LOCATION BARCUS CO+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Ustic
Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Barcus channery loamy sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 6 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) channery loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; 20 percent fine channers; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
C1--6 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) channery sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; 20 percent fine channers; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
C2--16 to 21 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very channery sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; 20 percent fine channers; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 25 inches thick)
C3--21 to 37 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very channery sand; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium roots; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline; 40 percent channers of which one half is coarse channers; abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
C4--37 to 42 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very channery loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline; 35 percent fine channers; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
C5--42 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very channery sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline; 40 percent fine channers.
TYPE LOCATION: Rio Blanco County, Colorado; 1.5 miles from the junction of Ryan Gulch Road from the Piceance road, and 200 feet north of the road; about 100 feet west and 75 feet north of the SE corner of Sec. 31, T. 1 S., R. 98 W. U.S.G.S. Wolf Ridge quad.; Lat. 39 degrees, 54 minutes, 47 seconds N., and Long. 108 degrees, 25 minutes, 29 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 45 to 47 degrees F. The particle-size control section is 35 to 50 percent channers by volume. Clay content of the particle-size control section ranges from 5 to 10 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4. This horizon is 15 to 35 percent channers. It commonly is calcareous but is noncalcareous in some pedons. Reaction is mildly alkaline to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR. It is stratified channery sand to very channery loamy fine sand. Reaction is moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in that subgroup and family at present.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Barcus soils are on alluvial fans and in narrow valleys at elevations of 5,800 to 6,800 feet. These soils formed in mixed alluvium of calcareous sandstone and shale origin. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches, and the mean annual temperature ranges from 42 to 44 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Glendive, Havre, and Rentsac soils. Glendive soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section. Havre soils have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. Rentsac soils have a lithic contact above a depth of 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is principally western wheatgrass, basin wildrye, needleandthread, Indian ricegrass, big sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, and scattered areas of fourwing saltbush and winterfat.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Colorado and possibly adjacent parts of Wyoming. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rio Blanco County, Colorado, 1979.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized are: an ochric epipedon; stratification throughout the texture control section; over 35 percent rock fragments in the texture control section; an ustic aridic moisture regime; and a frigid temperature regime. Last updated by the state 4/95.